Truck accidents are a serious concern for members of the public because of the catastrophic injuries and harm a truck accident can cause. Members of the public may wonder what the risks of a truck accident are and victims of truck accidents may wonder what legal options, resources and remedies may be available to them following a truck accident.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the critical reason leading to a truck accident between a truck and a motor vehicle was driver non-performance in 9,000 cases; driver recognition issues in 22,000 cases; driver decision making in 30,000 cases; and driver performance issues in 7,000 cases studied. The study was based on national estimates of trucks involved in fatal and injury crashes during the study period.
Driver non-performance was defined as the driver falling asleep or being physically impaired for another reason; driver recognition was defined as the driver being inattentive or distracted by something inside or outside of the truck and failing to adequately observe the situation; driver decision was defined as a driver driving too fast for roadway conditions, misjudging the speed of other vehicles or following other vehicles too closely; driver performance was defined as the driver panicking, overcompensating or exercising poor control.
The top associated factors in truck accidents studied were brake problems; traffic flow problems; prescription drug use; traveling too fast for roadway conditions; lack of familiarity with the roadway; roadway problems; a required stop before the crash such as a traffic control device or crosswalk; over-the-counter drug use; inadequate surveillance; and fatigue. Because of the catastrophic nature of truck accidents, victims have a number of options that may be available to them for the recovery of the multitude of different types of damages they may suffer when negligently harmed in a truck accident.
Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, “The Large Truck Crash Causation Study – Analysis Brief,” Accessed June 21, 2015
